ULM spent its first couple of years under head coach Todd Berry serving as the Homecoming opponent almost every time the Warhawks went on the road.

Now, Berry talks about how some teams don’t want to schedule the Sun Belt contender during out-of-conference games due to ULM’s recent success soon after the head coach took over in 2010.

The conference schools, of course, do not have an option, but the way the Warhawks’ schedule fell this season, the team will serve as three Sun Belt openers to opponents.

The first two are out of the way with Week 2’s visit from Idaho and this past weekend’s matchup against Troy. Now, ULM heads out of state Saturday for the first time this season when it rings in Arkansas State’s Sun Belt slate in Jonesboro for a 6 p.m. kickoff.

There is no clear cut answer to the argument of who has the upper hand between the two schools — ULM with the 2-0 conference start or Arkansas State who finished up its non-conference slate with a bye week before dipping into eight straight weeks against Sun Belt opponents.

“I think every team is a little bit different,” Berry said. “I don’t think there’s a template, cookie cutter approach to this thing. It’s a little bit different excitement created about playing in the first Sun Belt game.

“It’s nice to be 2-0 in conference right now too. I think you could probably go either direction with it. I just know it’s the next ball game, and I’m sure (ASU) coach (Blake) Anderson feels the same way.”

ULM duo earns weekly awards: ULM punter/kicker Justin Manton earned the Sun Belt and Louisiana player of the week honors among special teams nominees for his performance in the Warhawks’ win over Troy this past Saturday.

Manton tallied 10 total points including the game-winning field goal and was 3-for-3 on field goals (37, 34, 29). Manton also punted six times (48.3 avg.) with a long of 56 and kicked off six times (64.0 avg) with three touchbacks and three landed inside the 20, with two downed inside the five (two yard line, one yard line).

ULM linebacker Michael Johnson was named the Louisiana defensive player of the week.

The junior tied his career-high with seven tackles with perhaps the biggest coming on Troy’s final touchdown when the Trojans opted for the two-point conversion, so if made ULM would have to score a touchdown to win or a field goal to send it into overtime.

Johnson stuffed Troy quarterback Brandon Silvers as soon as he tried to run a keeper, ending the threat.

ULM at Kentucky: After this week’s Sun Belt game, the Warhawks will travel to the University of Kentucky on Oct. 11 for their second of three meeting with SEC teams this season.

The conference announced Monday that kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and has been picked up by the SEC Network.